Bluetooth headsets are common today, though a recent study claimed that their popularity was declining in the U.S. while growing slightly in Europe. Plantronics is one of the more popular names in Bluetooth headsets and its latest offering is the Discovery 975.

The 975 uses AudioIQ2 DSP technology that features two mics to capture the user’s voice while cancelling out background noise. There are no special buttons to press to activate the tech; it works automatically when the user is talking.

There are lots of cars on the road from GM that feature OnStar. The service allows drivers to place hands free calls and dials 911 automatically in the event of an accident. The GPS features of the service can also provide the exact location of the car for EMS and roadside assistance.

A company called Guidepoint has announced a new hands free Bluetooth device that offers some of the same features as OnStar. The device can be coupled with an optional GPS tracker to give positional information for roadside assistance and EMS services.

Umbrellas are a pain to use. It’s like your umbrella is holding your hand hostage, keeping you from doing important tasks like texting, fixing your hair or flipping some dude off. If only you had use of that hand while keeping the rain off of yourself.

Well now you can go hands free thanks to Japanese Superstore Tokyu Hands and the Shoulderbrella. Just unscrew the end of your umbrella and stick it into the Shoulderbrella. Then just wrap it around one or both of your shoulders like a harness.

Skype meets Star Trek(Sort of) with this communicator from Polycom. The device lets you talk hands-free. The C100S USB Speakerphone for Skype features two high-quality microphones that will give you excellent range in group conversations and eliminates pesky echoes and feedback.

It connects via USB and does double duty as a speaker if you want to listen to music. You can even pick up or hangup without using a mouse. So free your hands! They have been enslaved long enough.

I have never purchased anything off a TV commercial like the ones the spokes people always tell you to call now for. Most of the stuff they peddle looks like junk to me. The company behind some of those oddball products — Telebrands — has announced a new gadget that works with mobile phones.

The device is called the Jupiter Jack and plugs into the headphone port of mobile phones. The idea is that the device will send the audio from your calls over the cars speaker system so you can hear while driving without having to hold the phone.

I recently bought a new car that is a convertible with a manual transmission. The problem is that I get too many phone calls and it is impossible to answer the phone and drive a manual transmission car in traffic and there is too much wind noise for speaker phone use.

BlueAnt has announced a new hands free kit called the S1 that might be perfect for my needs. The device clips to the visor of the car and can connect to two phones at the same time. Either phone that rings will be transferred to the S1. The phone can be paired with eight different phones.

I’m not a big fan of Bluetooth headsets personally; I prefer to just hold my phone to my ear. However, in some states you have to use hands free devices to be able to use cell phones while driving. If you live in one of those states, a Bluetooth hands free kit or headset is required.

BlueAnt has announced a new Bluetooth headset called the Q1 that has some very interesting features. The most important feature is that the device can be controlled using voice commands. The headset responds to spoken commands like redial, call back, answer/ignore call, and check battery.

This flashlight is shaped like a typical underwater mine and it’s this shape that makes it so radical in design. The golf-ball-sized flashlight has a single powerful LED, with twelve points tipped with neodymium magnets.

That means it will stick to any steel surface, letting you light up more of the room. Great flashlight for lighting up tight spaces. And at only $9, you have to get one. You’ll never have to clutch your flashlight in your teeth again.

A while back we told you about the iFlyz iPhone holder, designed to hold your iPhone during long flights. It’s a great idea for sure, but you have to question the whole suction cup idea. You don’t want to trust your expensive gadget to a suction cup.

That’s where the In Your Face iPhone holder comes in. It does pretty much the same thing, for the same price, just in a much safer way as there is no suction cup involved. Instead it uses a much stronger spring-loaded iPhone clamp. I’m happy to report that it does it’s job well and has multiple uses while you keep your hands free.

Holding your mobile device in your hand is not exactly hard work, but it can get tiring and lead to hand strain as you browse the internet and play your favorite music while travellng on a plane. Using just a suction cup on a flexible rod to grasp your gadget, the iFlyz can take care of your iPhone for you as you surf the net or watch a movie hands free.

The iFlyz makes use of an adjustable clamp to attach to an upright and locked seat tray. It will also attach to one that is open during drink or dinner service. The flexible gooseneck allows the mobile device to be turned in any angle or direction. iFlyz sells for $29.99.

In many states you aren’t supposed to hold a cell phone while driving. It’s the law. I once saw a teenage girl talking on her phone while driving a pick up truck, run straight into a parked car. There was nothing else around her for miles. She was simply distracted and didn’t have her focus on driving. This VR3 Bluetooth Steering Wheel Console might help those who have trouble doing two things at once.

It gives you hands free wireless chatting directly in front of you, with a design that keeps your hands on the wheel for safety. Sure, it’s ugly as hell, but so is an ambulance ride or a mangled corpse. It’s only $99.99.

GN Netcom, through its Jabra headset brand, announced today a new speakerphone for in-car use. It is called the Jabra SP700 and it prices around $100.

The Jabra SP700 transmits cell phone calls to a car’s FM radio for hands-free communications. One clips the speakerphone to a visor, connects it to the phone via Bluetooth and tunes FM radio to the frequency set on the speakerphone. On cars with RDS enabled stereos the caller’s phone number will be displayed and this device also hosts an audio feature that lets users know when the speakerphone status changes, announcing instructions such as ‘power off’, ‘the incoming caller’s number’ and ‘connected’ in a choice of ten languages. It is available now.

Jabra

Cygnett recently unveiled a new Bluetooth hands-free speaker which has some interesting design appeal to it. It is called the Cygnett GrooveTooth Talk and you can pick one up for around $80.

The Cygnett GrooveTooth Talk works with Bluetooth-enabled cell phones, inclduing the iPhone 3G. It makes use of Bluetooth 2.0 and offers an auto detection range of around 30 feet. The built-in speaker is 1.5 watts and you can get about seven hours of talk time out of this device.

Tritton Technologies is unveiling to Bluetooth phone owners everywhere a somewhat discretely designed wireless headset for hands-free activities. It is called the AX Micro Bluetooth Headset and you’ll find it priced at around $60.

The Tritton AX Micro has what is described as a “comfort fit attachment” and also makes use of flexible finger grips which rest on the inner ear rim for stability. As a Bluetooth headset it will get you around five hours of talk time and 150 hours of standby time on one battery charge.

If you feel that talking to seemingly no-one in public with a Bluetooth headset in your ear isn’t bringing quite enough unnecessary attention to yourself you can try your hand, or your neck, at this RoadRunner Bluetooth Communicator.

The RoadRunner connects to your mobile phone much like a regular Bluetooth headset with the difference being that you wear this one around your neck instead of on your ear. The device picks up vibrations from your larynx when you talk and converts them into a voice. There’s also a small corded ear piece that connects up to your ear.